Redox-Cycling “Mitocans” as Effective New Developments in Anticancer Therapy

Author:

Bakalova Rumiana12,Lazarova Dessislava2ORCID,Sumiyoshi Akira1,Shibata Sayaka1,Zhelev Zhivko34,Nikolova Biliana4,Semkova Severina4,Vlaykova Tatyana3ORCID,Aoki Ichio1,Higashi Tatsuya1

Affiliation:

1. Department of Molecular Imaging and Theranostics, National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology (QST), Chiba 263-8555, Japan

2. Faculty of Medicine, Sofia University, St. Kliment Ohridski, 1407 Sofia, Bulgaria

3. Faculty of Medicine, Trakia University, 6000 Stara Zagora, Bulgaria

4. Institute of Biophysics and Biomedical Engineering, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 1113 Sofia, Bulgaria

Abstract

Our study proposes a pharmacological strategy to target cancerous mitochondria via redox-cycling “mitocans” such as quinone/ascorbate (Q/A) redox-pairs, which makes cancer cells fragile and sensitive without adverse effects on normal cells and tissues. Eleven Q/A redox-pairs were tested on cultured cells and cancer-bearing mice. The following parameters were analyzed: cell proliferation/viability, mitochondrial superoxide, steady-state ATP, tissue redox-state, tumor-associated NADH oxidase (tNOX) expression, tumor growth, and survival. Q/A redox-pairs containing unprenylated quinones exhibited strong dose-dependent antiproliferative and cytotoxic effects on cancer cells, accompanied by overproduction of mitochondrial superoxide and accelerated ATP depletion. In normal cells, the same redox-pairs did not significantly affect the viability and energy homeostasis, but induced mild mitochondrial oxidative stress, which is well tolerated. Benzoquinone/ascorbate redox-pairs were more effective than naphthoquinone/ascorbate, with coenzyme Q0/ascorbate exhibiting the most pronounced anticancer effects in vitro and in vivo. Targeted anticancer effects of Q/A redox-pairs and their tolerance to normal cells and tissues are attributed to: (i) downregulation of quinone prenylation in cancer, leading to increased mitochondrial production of semiquinone and, consequently, superoxide; (ii) specific and accelerated redox-cycling of unprenylated quinones and ascorbate mainly in the impaired cancerous mitochondria due to their redox imbalance; and (iii) downregulation of tNOX.

Funder

IC-MedTech Corp., US

Japanese Agency for Promotion of Science

JST/MEXT

Publisher

MDPI AG

Subject

Inorganic Chemistry,Organic Chemistry,Physical and Theoretical Chemistry,Computer Science Applications,Spectroscopy,Molecular Biology,General Medicine,Catalysis

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